Home Made Extended 10/22 Mag Release

January 12, 2009

I like Ruger 10/22s. They are neat 22 caliber carbines and are probably the most versatile 22 rifle on the market. In fact, a whole cottage industry has sprung up offering every conceivable type of accessory, do-dad and thing -a-ma-gig that you can imagine.  It it not unusual for new owners to go on-line and end up spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars adding, changing, modifying their 10/22s.

Personally,  I am not big on spending gobs of money on them.  The 10/22 is a sporter rifle and changing it to something it is not just doesn’t seem logical to me. On the other hand, buying a stock 10/22 allows one to make it into many other things. You can make it into a lightweight back packable rifle or a heavy duty target gun.

One thing I would put on every 10/22 that I run across is an extended mag release. Ruger must have figured that out because I now see they are standard on new 10/22s (the ones with the plastic trigger assemblies). You can buy a new 10/22 with the mag release on it already or you can buy a multitude of aftermarket ones which cost from about $6 up to $30 or more.  Twenty years ago I bought a plastic one for $3.  Now I make my own.

In honor of those of us who have older 10/22s and are too cheap to buy an expensive super duper custom made one. I submit the following…

If you have an older 10/22 here’s what you got…Notice that the mag release is flat and smooth. It is sometimes difficult to push it in and extract the magazine

Here’s what you need… an empty 22 shell, some JB weld, the magazine release from your rifle and a drill about the diameter of the shell.

Drill a hole slightly bigger than the shell casing in the factory mag release. I used a wire brush to take the paint off the release but you can leave yours black if you want.  Glue the shell into the release using JB Weld.  Use some type of clamp, rubber band or something to ensure that it stays straight.  I think I used a pair of vice grip pliers. Let it sit overnight. Use sand paper or even a sharp knife to clean off the excess glue when set.

This is what you end up with…

When I sat down to take pictures I noticed an empty 22 box with the plastic holder inside. .  Light bulbs went off and I came up with a idea to cover the shell.  If you don’t have any ammo with similar inserts in them you can use plastic tubing, piece of tape or whatever

Break off one of the legs…

Cut to size…You will want it just a bit short so the shell will fit into the drilled hole.

Slip it over the shell casing before gluing.

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..or split it and slip it over afterward

End result…Just make sure you drill the hole back far enough so the mag doesn’t catch on the shell casing when relased. If you notice the rifle in the background the release is just a bit too far forward. I had to trim the front edge of the rim a smidgen to clear the mag when released. The one in the middle is a plastic one I bought years ago.

It also just occurred to me while re-reading this, that you could use a CCI Stinger casing if you wanted a silver one to match your bolt, trigger or polished mag release. I might have to go back and redo mine in silver.

Don’t want to use a empty casing?  Just about anything can be used as a mag release. Let your imagination run wild.

Hey, you’ve just become a custom gunsmith!

Posted in Do-it-yourself